The prior art shows numerous drainage catheters and a non-buckling thin-walled sheath. The prior art does not show a kink resistant multi-purpose drainage catheter.
Drainage catheters may be employed in order to percutaneously drain fluid from cavities of the body. For example they may be used to drain abdominal fluid collections from the peritoneal cavity and pleural cavity. These fluids may include ascites fluid that builds up as a result of cirrhosis or malignancies such as ovarian cancer. Drainage catheters can also be used for post surgical drainage of fluid after laparotomy or cholecystectomy. In the pleural cavity, drainage catheters can also be used to drain effusions. Effusions can result from malignancy, lymphangiectasis, catogenic or congenital chylothorax, as well as other types of well-known conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,376 to Fischell, entitled "Non-Buckling Thin-Walled Sheath For the Percutaneous Insertion of Intraluminal Catheters," describes a non-buckling thin-walled sheath for the percutaneous insertion of intraluminal catheters. The patent describes an introducer sheath having an extremely thin, flat wire metal coil that is surrounded only on its exterior surface with a plastic tube or coating. The flat wire coil optimizes the resistance of the sheath to buckling while minimizing the wall thickness of the sheath. The plastic covering being limited to the outside of the metal coil optimizes the thinness of the introducer sheath. The device is an introducer with an alternative embodiment consisting of two flat wire metal coils, one wound over the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,895 to Buchbinder, et al., entitled "Steerable Catheter," describes a flexible catheter having a spring coil body defining a lumen, the spring coil body having a flexible covering and a deflection wire. The distal end of the deflection wire is attached to the distal end of the spring coil body and to the proximal end of the catheter. The proximal end of the deflection wire extends through the control means and the control means has a port means which engages the deflection wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,417 to Andreussi, entitled "Device for Fastening a Catheter to a Cranial Theca for Performing Cerebro Spinal Fluid Drainage to the Outside Operations" describes a device for fastening a catheter to a cranial theca for performing cerebro spinal fluid drainage to the outside operations. The device is a mechanism for fastening a catheter to an osteofibrous wall for draining cerebro spinal fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,238 to Solomon, et al., entitled "Expandable Obturator and Catheter Assembly Including Same," describes an expandable obturator and catheter assembly. The obturator has a stiff rod of non-hydrophilic polyurethane, coated with a layer of hydrophilic polyurethane. The hydrophilic polyurethane may have an antithrombogenic agent. When the obturator is in place and the catheter is brought into contact with the liquid, it expands, releasing the antithrombogenic agent and contacting the lumen wall of the catheter, thereby forming a seal which prevents backflow of a body fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,528 to Palestrant, entitled "Percutaneous Irrigation and Drainage System," describes a percutaneous irrigation and drainage system. The system is a closed system for percutaneous irrigation and drainage of cavities containing abscesses, sterile fluid collections or hematomas including an irrigant reservoir. An irrigation tube connects the reservoir to a port and multi-port member adapted to fluidically connect two of the three ports at a time. The distal end of the drainage catheter is adapted to be placed in the cavity. The proximal end of the catheter is connected to the second port of the second connector. A drainage tube is connected to the third port of the second connector, which is in turn connected to a means for collecting fluids draining from the cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,329 to Drobish, et al., entitled "Drainage and Infusion Catheters Having a Capillary Sleeve Forming a Reservoir For a Fluid Antimicrobial Agent," describes a drainage and infusion catheter having a capillary sleeve forming a reservoir. The catheter has an elongated tubular shaft, the distal end of which is provided with at least one port. A sleeve is mounted about the shaft, extending along a portion of the internal body surface. The inner surface of the sleeve is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending capillary channels or grooves, providing uniform distribution of the fluid antimicrobial agent within the reservoir and throughout the length of the reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,314, to Cope, entitled "Apparatus and Method For Catheterization Permitting Use of A Smaller Gage Needle," describes an apparatus and method for catheterization permitting use of a smaller gage needle. An introducing catheter for use with a pair of different diameter wire guides is described. The larger of the wire guides is a J-type wire guide. The J-type guide is provided to enlarge a tract in order to facilitate the passage of drainage catheters through the tract. The introducing catheter includes an inwardly curved portion which lies between the distal and proximal ends of the catheter, with the curved portion being located nearer to the distal end. The catheter has a side port which is distally positioned from the curved portion, and on the inward side of the curved portion, so that a J-type wire guide is advanced within the catheter from the proximal end. The wire guide can automatically emerge from the side port. The side port has an oval or elliptical shape with the major axis along the length of the tube.
Therefore, it is the motivation of the invention to provide a kink resistant multi-purpose drainage catheter that has superior drainage in vivo ability to drain fluids from the body.